[Trigger warning: domestic violence, violence, murder] The story of Phoukeo Dej-Oudom and her family is one you may have missed during all the recent events around #BlackLivesMatter, but Phoukeo’s story is one that deserves to be heard. In an all too common occurrence, Phoukeo and her three children were killed by Jason Dej-Oudom, her husband…

Black people killed by police in 2015: 1,134 Cops killed in 2015: 94 (42 by gunfire) Stop saying “blue lives matter” or “all lives matter.” The #BlackLivesMatter movement is a response to unprovoked violence and deaths of black people for doing the simple thing of BEING ALIVE. If you want to have the moral high…

Ever since Wendy Davis took to the floor of the Texas Senate for an 11-hour filibuster on June 25, 2013 in protest of bill HB 2, a TRAP law that would effectively shut down nearly every abortion provider in the state, reproductive justice advocates have been holding their breath. Well, first they stormed the Texas…

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it…

The first thing my husband said to me Sunday morning was, “Have you seen the news?” The look on his face told me it would be bad. Because my job requires me to have a near-constant connection to social media, I usually allow myself to unplug on Sundays. It’s my feeble attempt at work/life balance…

[Trigger warning] Brock Turner. Who knew it would take a convicted rapist who is good at swimming to supplant the ire of the internet that is normally reserved for talking about that reality show bigot (and alleged rapist) running for president? Having covered damn near every form of depravity associated with sexual assault for the…

Last week, Jon Ralston showed us his rarely seen softer side when he published The child I love to his Ralston Reports blog. The post served as a love letter to his child, who legally transitioned from female Maddy to male Jake that same day. When Maddy Ralston came into this world almost 21 years…

If there is one uniting theme in the 2016 presidential campaign season it is the rise of Privilege Panic. Again and again, across parties and at venues all over the country, we see a deep well of anger exploding with the landing of fists and the hurling of chairs (and death threats). From BernieBros to…

It was much easier for me to roll my eyes at Sheldon Adelson’s antics when his use of the dark side relegated him to a kind of ineffectual evil lord, not unlike The Emperor. I felt a kind of insulation from his political machinations when it was reserved mostly for using his billions to back…

When it comes to comedy, it’s rare that survivors of sexual violence aren’t served up as the punch line. Even otherwise smart, feminist comedians get tripped up with how to crucify the ones who deserve it – the rapists – without stumbling into the low-hanging fruit of blaming the victims. (It’s actually not that hard…